PHILADELPHIA -- There was an interesting visitor in the press box Wednesday. Florida Panthers general manager Jacques Martin had a seat at the end of press row during the Flyers-Kings game.

Martin said there was nothing to his visit other than to catch a hockey game while his team spent a few days in New York with games against the Rangers and Devils.

Still it was curious that he chose to come to Philly one week before the trade deadline and a ton of rumors floating around that the Flyers were interested in Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.

Martin insisted it had nothing to do with a trade possibility.

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Yeah, right.

The Flyers would like to improve their blue line and Bouwmeester would be a significant upgrade.

There are a few problems getting in the way of a possible deal.

First and foremost, the Flyers have salary-cap issues. They would need to trade the equivalent or greater salary to Florida in order to fit Bouwmeester on the roster. Bouwmeester makes $4.875 million.

Secondly, Bouwmeester, 25, is an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. If the Flyers were to make a deal for the defenseman, they would want to make sure they could sign him to a long-term deal. Trading for him as a rental wouldn't be prudent, especially considering what he's going to cost.

Which leads to problem No. 3: The Panthers want an NHL-caliber defenseman to replace him and an NHL forward, yet they don't want to take too much salary back in return. In that instance, the Flyers probably would have to give them a combination along the lines of Joffrey Lupul and Randy Jones. General manager Paul Holmgren isn't too keen on breaking up the locker room, especially since Lupul and Jones are significant pieces.

With Florida on the cusp of its first playoff berth in nine years, there is internal pressure on Martin to keep Bouwmeester and make a run through a very balanced Eastern Conference and take a risk of losing him as a free agent.

There are a lot of hoops to jump through, and it remains unlikely.

However, odds are they are talking ...

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Kimmo Timonen missed his second straight game recovering from the flu. Ossi Vaananen was in the lineup and Jones replaced Timonen on the top unit with Ryan Parent.

Coach John Stevens said he expects Timonen to return Friday when the Flyers host Montreal.

Also due back Friday is Danny Briere, who has been out of action since Dec. 2 recovering from a variety of groin injuries. The Flyers will have to make at least one roster move before Briere can come back so they can get underneath the salary cap.

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The Kings coming to Philadelphia was a bit of a homecoming for folks who make the West Coast their primary home.

Kings G.M. Dean Lombardi used to be the Flyers' director of player personnel. Assistant G.M. Ron Hextall held the same title in Philadelphia. Coach Terry Murray is a former Flyers coach.

As for the players, former fan favorite Michal Handzus returned, albeit without his noticeable locks; Kyle Calder, one of the last bad moves by former G.M. Bob Clarke, is also on L.A. as is defenseman Denis Gauthier.